Sunday, December 23, 2007

Christmas Vacation

Michael started his vacation on Thursday. It is a nice break for him and us. He has been just relaxing and hanging around the house with daddy and Nick. We have been watching Christmas movies, baking cookies, and he helped me put up some decorations last weekend. We went to his Tae-kwon-do event last weekend and I took some video of the kids' performance.

Christmas Slideshow

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Sparring



Michael had his first chance to spar last night. Sparring is held at the North West Tae-Kwon-Do Association's little gym in Spanaway. He practiced with kids of all different belts from different schools around the area. One of the boys from his class was there too, so they sparred against each other. We were there from 6:30pm to 9pm. The one thing the pictures cannot convey is how COLD it was in that place. They had two medium sized heaters running the whole time, but it was still very cold. He did very well. They did an hour of warm-ups...sit-ups, push-ups, running, jumping, and all kinds of other stuff. Michael said he had LOTS of fun. The Association has won many championships, and they had all their medals hanging on the walls. Needless to say, he was exhausted by the time we got home, and went to bed after he took a bath. Here are some pics:












Friday, November 23, 2007

Thanksgiving update

Michael got his report card this week, and needless to say, we were not too happy with the results. He still has problems sitting still in class and following directions. He would like nothing more than to talk to his friends the whole time. His marks were all over the place. I don't know why, but in third grade here they still give kids the "S", "N", "S+", and "S-",s. We have told him no sleepover's until he pulls his grades up.

For Turkey day we just stayed around the house. Everyone has been under the weather with a cold, and we are still dealing with the lingering effects of that. Michael took a whole turkey drum stick and ate the whole thing. He looked like a caveman!! He is very excited about Christmas coming up, and we see Dr. M again in January to see how much more he has grown. He has another loose tooth on the bottom that is about to fall out. He is really liking his Tae-kwon-do class. They start "sparring" next week with the other kids in class. Here he is in his uniform:





Monday, November 12, 2007

November update

The past few weeks have been almost uneventful. Just a few days after the last update, Michael and two of his friends were playing outside. They were playing with rocks; seeing how far they could throw them. Well, Michael ended up getting hit in the head with one of the bigger rocks and it fractured his skull. One of the boys came to our house to tell Mike what had happened, and then he called me at work. Michael was taken by ambulance to the hospital-and we spent the next few hours in the ER getting him cleaned and bandaged up. He had two staples put in his head as the gash was about an inch or so and all the way down to the bone. He got the staples out a week later, and is healed up now.

He has been taking Tae-kwon-do for about a month now and just got his white belt. He loves it. School is school. Nothing much there. We will see how his report card looks. He is never interested in doing homework, and it is always a struggle. He tends to talk and socialize in class too much-which has always been a problem of his. Right now we are looking forward to Thanksgiving; and then Christmas. Michael and I both Love this time of year. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

An update on my Big Guy!



Michael is just growing too fast! I cannot believe he is eight years old already! I have found some pictures that I thought you all would enjoy looking at. Soccer season is now over. They won their last game yesterday. Michael scored the tie-breaking goal-and boy was he happy!

He now has a new interest besides soccer. No, not girls..yet. But Tae-Kwon-Do. He starts that tomorrow. It goes year-round, so next season we will have to change our soccer days to accomodate. He can even go to tournaments when he gets a little more experience. He is very excited about this and has been going around the house practicing his kicks and punches.

School is going good so far. We will see what his report card brings. His teacher e-mails me when needed to tell me about his day. That sure can scare the crap out of an eight year old!! He never knows when she is going to write me...Bwuahaaahaaahaaa!

Anyway, life is busy over on this side. With my two boys, hubby, work, and school it seems like I am constantly busy. Even on weekends.

I was going through some old pictures this weekend, and guess what I found!

This is Michael in his first season of soccer at 5 yrs old!
Here he is now:

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Dr Appt



Michael had another growth check today with Dr M. His appointment was at 9:45, and by some miracle we were actually on time! Nick had an early morning therapy session at 8:30, so I had to take Michael. I picked him up from school at 9am-and we were off. I managed to find a parking space fairly quickly(also a miracle!) and we were in the waiting area by 9:30. The receptionist handed me his records-which I exclaimed to Michael "You have a NOVEL here!" and put the whole folder in our time slot on the wall. He got his vitals taken (he is an old pro at this stuff) and then we waited for about 45 minutes to see Dr M.

Dr M gave Michael a thorough look see; and asked his usual questions. "Any headaches?", "Any dry skin?", "Blurred vision?, nausea, swelling?" All of them were "Nope". He then plotted Michael's growth on the charts. He has finally made it back up to the 5th percentiles. He was way below those when we started; so that was nice to see. Dr M increased his doseage to 8 "clicks" on our current cartridges, then he prescribed some new ones in which we then give him only 2 "clicks"-but it is a greater "potency" I should say. So, we are to finish out our remaining meds at 8 "clicks", and then go on to the new meds. He wants us back in mid-January for another work-up. They will draw blood to measure his hormone levels, and do another bone scan then. He also gave us permission to take a night off each week. Which was completely fine with Michael!

Michael measured in at 46.5" and hovering around 50 pounds. Please pray that the increased dose does not give him any negative side effects(other than growing). I gave him the first dose tonight with the 8 "clicks" so we shall see. He is very excited about the thought of getting even bigger than he is now-but we are always leary of any aches or pains-especially headaches.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

The end of summer....


Michael started the third grade this year! I can't believe my once little guy has grown into a full fledged eight year old. Where did the time go? He is still playing soccer, and they have their second game coming up on Saturday. Michael has an appointment on the 19th with Dr M to see how much he has grown, and possibly increase his doseage. We also need refills on the meds and needles. In case you all did not see the pictures I sent, here is one of him with no top teeth.




Hope everyone had a great summer :) Now we are looking forward to the fall. After a few months of 80's and even some 90's, I am ready for the 60's(which are coming up this weekend)and the fall foliage. The trees have already started changing color and some have lost all their leaves already. Not looking forward to the rain, but maybe some snow!

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Friday, August 17, 2007

Summer is coming to an end.....


Michael had a great time at soccer camp this week! He played for Spain this year, and just had a great time. He really liked his coaches and even got to play a little bit with the older kids. He learned about off-sides and penalty cards, and a few tricks. Last night we had to make the Spanish flag so that we could take it to his games today. In the picture you can see him painting it. He has grown another shoe size, and is now a size 2. The other night I came home to find him eating an entire Whopper by himself!

We had his school physical Thursday. He is now 46" and a whopping 51 POUNDS! We need to make another appointment with Dr. M to see if we need to increase his doseage. Right now, he is at a "6", but based on his growth and weight gain, he might need to go up to a "7". That is what the pediatrician said when she plotted his growth. He had to get one shot and then we were done. He is ready to go to third grade. His other top tooth is very loose now, and I am thinking he could lose that one this weekend. Maybe he will look like most of the other kids in his class now with their teeth missing!

We get a two day break from soccer camp, and then we start the whole soccer thing again on Monday. This time it is the regular season. Back to being very busy for the next couple of months. (As if we are not busy enough??) It was great while it lasted! Back to the grind next month.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Soccer "Camp"


Yesterday I had a day off, so Michael, Nick and I biked up to the Youth Center to sign him up for soccer camp. He has been soooo excited about this since the beginning of summer! This year, he gets to stay all day at the field. He is looking forward to playing again. The regular season starts on the 20th, and I am sure he will need a new pair of cleats. Mike and I are going to sit this season out as far as coaching and being the Team Parent-we are taking a break! Although I do enjoy being team mom, it can get a little stressful at times dealing with parents. He has his physical on the 16th and a little after that, it is back to school! I can't believe how fast this year is going by.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

A Fun day!!

Today I took both boys to the Mall, and we had a blast. Michael celebrated Nick eating french fries with us and even mugged for the camera...




Michael is growing up I am afraid. Today, he wanted a full fledged MEAL-not a Happy Meal, but a grown up meal!! I told him there would not be a toy inside and he said "I know; I don't care." So, yes, that is HIS medium drink you see in the pic, not mine! He shared his fries with Nick, but ate about 80% of the food himself. After that, we went to Build-A-Bear; where he got a little stuffed animal. A Husky dog that he named "Rudolph". Here is a pic of Michael and "Rudolph".

Saturday, July 7, 2007

Help me to help my Brother.....


This is my SITE to help my brother and best friend in their struggle with autism and asperger's. I will be walking along with my mom, my brother Nick, and our friends from Spokane. I know it is a couple of months away, but we want to raise as much money as we can before October, so we are getting an early start!!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Monday, July 2, 2007

Summer Break!!


Michael has been out of school for just over a week now and is spending his days playing with his friends. He has a new friend who just moved in next door, and they get along like two peas in a pod. Michael has been over to his house nearly every day-and they run all over the place in between our two houses and the house across the street. Michael has come home drenched in water more times than I can count. We went and got him enrolled in the summer reading program at the library and he has read two books so far. He also has another loose tooth, and should have a nice tan going by the end of summer. He spends most of his days shirtless and soaked. What better summer for an 8yr old??

Not sure what we are doing for the 4th of July yet. We will probably head on over to Ft. Lewis-they have a nice fireworks display and it is close to home so we don't have to deal with the traffic. Mike plans on taking Michael to see the movie Transformers tomorrow. They are both excited, as am I at the thought of only having one boy to deal with instead of 3!

Sunday, June 10, 2007

SURF'S UP


Michael and I went to see this movie last night and thoroughly enjoyed it! It is a very cute movie and we had a great time. Michael had been real good about doing his chores around the house this week, so we thought a movie would be just the thing to reward him with this week. He is pretty excited for school to be out. He has about two more weeks(June 21st) and he will be done. No big plans for summer as of yet. We are looking to spending our time ice-skating,going to movies,going to Wild Waves, and maybe a trip to Spokane to see our friends Ericka and Nathan(and their parents too!LOL!).

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Another tooth is gone!!


Michael finally lost it yesterday afternoon. I am thrilled not to have to look at it hanging by a thread anymore. He came to me yesterday as I was watching tv and was wriggling it all around. I told him to go into the bathroom and do that. I knew he would eventually pull it out; and sure enough, a few minutes later he came back grinning and holding the tooth on a pillow of toilet paper. He is catching up to all his friends who have lost teeth, and I suspect by the start of next school year he will have caught up. He is still on the smaller side, but the gap is closing and he does not stand out so much anymore. He is looking forward to summer vacation starting next month. We have plans for soccer camp, and probably going to Wild Waves again this year. I am thinking about starting up his swimming lessons again and also starting up soccer practices on Fridays. Just trying to keep him somewhat busy.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

New music

I put some new music on here since the old one did not seem to work. Michael told me he wanted songs that "rock" on his page, so I tried to mix it up a bit. Overall, he is doing well. We had a small birthday party for him last weekend with two of his good friends from school. Here are a couple of pictures:

His cake

"Working out" he lifts these 3lb weights everyday.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

reading troubles

Michael got his report card this week, and he went down in some areas. He got S-'s in reading comprehension. He also has problems staying on task, and staying in his seat. We noticed this when he would come home and do his homework. He could barely sit and concentrate on any of it. He did it, but as far as reading and understanding the directions he was lost. In kindergarten and first grade, they were concerned about how many words per minute the kids could read. That's all fine and good, but while Michael can read 76 words per minute-he does not understand any of it. So,we have cut out tv watching, and Mike is working with him everynight on his comprehension. (They are reading Mike's old Star Wars collection)I know one of the side effects of the meds he takes is hyperactivity-it just became more noticeable this year. He has always been very active-we did not really see a noticeable change until this term-he just cant sit still. Michael will need to learn how to control himself-since stopping his meds is not an option right now.

Friday, April 20, 2007

March of Dimes

Tomorrow is our walk for the March of Dimes. Michael is going to come with me this time. He is excited for now, although I am sure that will end after a mile or so! I am taking a little stroller in case he gets tired...it is 6miles after all. He initially thought this was our walk for autism; which he was excited about too. He was saying "Yeah, we walk to help kids like Nick and Nathan, right?!". I had to tell him this walk was to help babies who were born too soon and are very sick. Then he said "Yeah, and they are REALLY small!" Such a sweet kid he is. Always wanting to help. It is going to be just him and I tomorrow-and I think he is also excited about that. Going somewhere with just mom. I told him after our walk we can go and get lunch somewhere he wants to go. We went to the commissary and I let him pick out some snacks and drinks to take with us, and I am hoping he has fun. I told him that we have to get up early in the morning and he says "Mom; I ALWAYS get up before you!" I was shocked tonight when I was putting them to bed, Michael went into the next room. He came back a few minutes later with clothes in his hands. "These are my clothes for tomorrow. I am putting them here so I can be ready to go!" He never does that! The fact that they matched was an added bonus!!!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Weekend update

We did not do too much this weekend. It was nice that we did not have a soccer game to rush to in the mornings. I also plan on taking Michael to my walk next weekend. Yesterday we went and got both boys haircuts. Michael wanted his to be spikey on top and he even wanted it colored Red. They did not have color, so he had to go without. He was kinda bummed about that. I KNOW Aunt Cookie knows how to color hair-I believe it was Kool-aid?? If you read this, could you please e-mail me on how to do it?? He is doing well in school. He is really excited now that he is getting so close to the 48" mark on our wall. That means he will be able to go on ALL the rides--mostly the roller coasters. I believe he is around 46" now. Not too much else to report. Hope everyone has a nice week!

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Easter


Playing with my brother and his new toys!

Playing with one of my new toys

Nicholas and Me

Happy Easter!

Figuring out my new Transformer

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Happy Easter!!!


Boys of soccer. Left to right; Michael,Matthew,& Tyler

Today was our last game of the season. Bittersweet. I am happy that I don't have to be the Team Parent anymore,but now we have to find something else to fill time. Michael scored two more goals today. Here is the one I caught on camera:


We won the game 5-2. Michael has also been practicing with the 9-11yr olds, and Thursday the coach told him he could play in their game today. On Thursday,Michael got past their defenders and had five shots on their goal. So,after his game this morning with HIS team, we grabbed some lunch, and then headed back to play with the older kids. Michael and the two other boys who were asked to play today(Tyler is from his team, and Matthew is from another 7-8yr old team) were all excited and everytime the coach yelled "Sub!" all three of them leaped up,ready to go,only to be told "No,not yet guys!" Well,the other coach got mad that they were using kids who were not even on their team and raised a big stink to the refs,and they could not play. Tyler and Michael were so crushed they actually sobbed. Their hopes of playing were dashed in that moment. The older kids were also very upset that Michael could not play. They had practiced with him all season, and they wanted him to play just as much as he did. Here are some pics of him practicing with them. He is the smallest one out there!




Tonight we spent the evening coloring eggs and getting ready for the Easter bunny. Michael is excited and cant wait to see what he gets! Here is his loot this year:

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Weekly update

This week was a bad week for soccer practice. Monday,Michael was at practice and got kicked in the eye. He was ok,and it left no mark on him as far as I could tell when I got home. Tuesday however, he ended up getting kicked on the side of his head. That one left a pretty nice bump by his ear, and he also has a pretty nice bruise on that side. It looks alot worse than it is really. That is just the name of the game though. He has learned to take some knocks and get back up. We had a little talk on Friday about that. He was sulking about getting hurt and did not want to play anymore. I told him soccer is like life. You get knocked down, but you get back up and try again. I told him he would have to just sit on the sidelines and not do anything fun because he was afraid to get knocked over. He practices not only with his own team, but also with the 9-11 yr olds. I asked him if he knew WHY he practices with the older kids? He said "No". I told him "Because you are as good as they are!"(he is!). After a few seconds, he went right on to the field and gave it his all. At yesterdays game-he scored 2 goals and his team won 6-1! He also had one assist! I told him he will have to do that again next week because I did not have the camera with me. Oy vey!!

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Weekend


today i helped my dad with the yard. i am tired and going to watch tv now.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

All about me

i love pizza.my favorite color is red,white,blue,black,red and gold.my favorite character on naruto is gaara came from sand village to leaf village.my best friends are keegan,keoki,ericka,nathan and clay.my favorite movie is star wars epi.1 2 3 4 5 6.my favorite character on star wars is chewbaka.my favorit video game is star wars republic cammando.i can speak english,spanish and german 1-10.

His own page

I thought that since Nick has his own webpage, that Michael should too. I will have him tell you a little about himself.

Michael